Topic: UEFA Champions League 2023/24 Season - page 16. (Read 141700 times)

What Ancelotti is playing is finals and as an experienced coach, he has witnessed finals countless times and he knows the atmosphere of finals. He knows how to win finals. He cannot test if the water is shallow by going with his two feet. This is not the usual La liga vibe of football. It is a war against league, it is a battle between Spain and Germany. The recent finals that didn't take how it was expected, i.e Europa League finals and Emirates Fa cup has thought him a lesson he needs to learn. In as much as he is the favourite, he still needs to be cautious because only 1 goal against him can do the job for Dortmund. I am happy that the expectations of many people didn't happen. Even if Dortmund has to lose, they have shown capacity against the giants.

The first half did not seem to go well as the marking for Vini and Rodrygo especially from Hummels and Nico Schlotterbeck was so good that their space was always closed and there was no real movement apart from early in the first half for Rodrygo.

The second half looks like Ancelotti should try to change the scheme because seeing from what is happening now of course this is still not very good where it is precisely those who appear to be pressing at this time are Dortmund but indeed for Ancelotti's plans are always seen in the 70th minute until the end so seeing the first half that looks too careful it actually makes Madrid threatened and he must try to do a new scheme.

There are still some players who have not been included so for now Madrid still has a pretty big chance for now even though Dortmund's attacks in the first half were troublesome because several times Courtois had to be extra in making saves but so far it is still quite under control.

Real Madrid for more than many times they have shown that they are very flexible with their performance in the sense that they can be played by the opposite team in the first with very good football at that then during the second half the whole scene will change with the twinkle of an eye and that's what I expect these boys to come out and play during the second half. I am very sure Carlo ancelotti is going to address some major places that needs improvement because if the game continues like in the second half the we might actually see Dortmund take up some kind of lucky goal since they are the ones with the more dangerous threat at goal.

Yes, Real Madrid's defense is not doing solid work against Borussia Dortmund's attack, and if not for the fact that Borussia Dortmund failed to convert their good chances into a goal, Real Madrid would have been losing to Borussia Dortmund in the first half. Wow! The first half was electrifying; both clubs displayed a good performance in the first half, but Borussia Dortmund were better than Real Madrid in terms of creating chances. If Borussia Dortmund can maintain the same display in the second half and learn to convert their chances into goals, there's a possibility that Borussia Dortmund will beat Real Madrid and lift the UEFA Champions League trophy. Also, Borussia Dortmund players should be careful how they attack Real Madrid before Madrid scores a goal against Borussia Dortmund with a counterattack. For now, the match is balanced.

The first half has been an interesting one. I like the style of Dortmund defending against real madrid, they have had a few counterattacks that in my opinion was supposed to put give them a lead in the game but all were a wasted opportunities and it's as though they are having a hard luck with all the balls hitting the woodwork.

If Dortmund can maintain the momentum and attacking base in the second half without letting real madrid making a fast one on them then they can luckily win the game with the effort they are making.

In this match I thought that Dortmund would take the lead against Real Madrid and Real Madrid would catch Dortmund. Based on their first half performance, Dortmund were the dominant side. Indeed, Dortmund had a couple of chances to take the lead against Real Madrid, but they wasted all the chances they could have had in this very important match. Dortmund, as I expected, are much more enthusiastic, much more ambitious and because of this ambition and passion they got two unnecessary yellow cards. The fans are feverish and it feels like Dortmund are playing this game at home. Ancelotti might have eaten the whole gum box from stress

If Dortmund doesn't waste dangerous positions in the second half, they are the team close to the trophy. It's an enjoyable match. Let's see if Ancelotti and his team can pull a rabbit out of the hat again.

Dortmund put up quite an interesting resistance in the first half, it seemed like the squad coached by Edin Terzic played with full confidence so they played quite well. Even though based on statistics, Real Madrid has more control over ball possession, but Dortmund has more dangerous opportunities. Adeyemi, has a very good chance. but unfortunately, he dribbled more to get past Courtois. and unfortunately for him, he failed to convert the opportunity to score a goal. Fullkrug, didn't touch the ball much, but he almost scored a goal if the ball didn't hit the goalpost. two big chances, failed to score. On the other hand, Madrid didn't have a big chance in the first half. I'm not sure whether this is deliberately a tactic implemented by Ancelotti, or Dortmund are playing with nothing to lose so they play more loosely and freely. In fact, every opportunity they have is enough to endanger Real Madrid's defense. well, it was quite an exciting and tense match for the supporters of these two teams. I enjoyed it more, I hope that after halftime the battle in the second half will be even more fun and more exciting to enjoy. and it is very likely that in the second half Madrid will be more pressing and will not give Dortmund much space. I'm pretty sure Ancelotti will change his system and strategy a little. well, let's wait for the second half to start.

Is anyone seeing Dortmund stats, they they literally killing it on attempts and short on target, right now before the break they have 8 shot and 3 on targets while rela Madrid has only 2 shot and non on target, is this history about to happen, Dortmund has done a good job holding their owm this girat halve and I'm sure they aren't done yet, would Madrid concive a first goal against Dortmund or would they win, its a thrilling suspense, I never knew Dortmund could give this much tension against Madrid.

Borussia Dortmund deserve to be ahead by perhaps 2 goals to say the least, but Real Madrid despite being caught in possession and on the break, they still managed to keep their composure and eliminate each threat, but Adeyemi really could have done a better job with that very big chance he missed, and kudos to Dani Cavarjal for that important clearance.

Nevertheless, this have been Real Madrid's identity most of the time, they get outplayed, out possessed sometimes too, all they get is just a couple of chance, or even none but still ended up on the winning side. I'd be very worried if I'm a Dortmund fan, for all those missed chances, that sure could end up proving very costly for them.

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I'm glad I won my betslip on the halftime draw...

Maybe, I might take a live bet on Under 1.5 goals total, if I find decent Odds for that option.



EDIT:

Live bet taken, Total goals Under 1.5 @ 1.75; I think this game would end marginally or head for extra time, despite the high level of intensity for Dortmund, I might have had a different opinion if Real Madrid were the team in total control of the game offensively, but I expect them to keep their cool and this Dortmund attack at bay.

The first half of the match has ended, and I will say they both played well, but I am really impressed with the way Dortmund played in the first half of the match. I never expected such an impressive performance from them, they gave Real Madrid a difficult moment in the first half of the match, they had more opportunities than Real Madrid, Dortmund had 2 goals on target in the first half, and Real Madrid had 0 goals on target. Seriously,  I expected a better performance from Real Madrid in the match.
 
The second half of the match has started. Let’s see how the second half goes. Real Madrid should try and improve their performance in the second half. If they play the same way they played in the first half of the match, I won’t be surprised if Dortmund ends up winning the match.

The first half ended and there were indeed some very good chances by Dortmund in the first half this time fortunately Courtois was still quite alert in carrying out his duties in his first debut and directly in the final this season after a long absence due to the injury he suffered.

The first half was a little monotonous for Madrid although in the early minutes they managed to kick off with possession and some quick attacks but in the middle of the first half Dortmund started to take over the rhythm of the match and the few chances they managed to get were very good.

But I don't want to be too surprised by Madrid's game because they are usually like this and the second half is a fixed price because surely Ancelotti will make some changes to the scheme that cannot even be expected because seeing from what Madrid always do usually the second half they always become like a different club and Dortmund still have to prepare for that surprise. But so far Dortmund have been really good in the first half and we need to appreciate that.

It's been an entertaining match to watch by all even when no goal has been scored in the game. As a Real Madrid fan, I believe that the Spanish champions are going to win the game despite what we've seen in the first half of the game. Borussia Dortmund without have simply been the better team tonight as they've created so many clear chances clear but failed to convert.
Carlo Ancelotti understands the game of football very well and I believe that Real Madrid will do better after his first half team talk with the boys. Vinicius Jr have in few times troubled the Borussia Dortmund defense but I think he'll be a much better threat in the second half. It's been a very tight game as none of the teams wants to concede any goal and if the game isn't decided by penalty shootout, I think it'll be won a very slim margin

Nah they are bad

Anw I'm sure that I saw Rodrygo's name in the starting line-up but during the first half I didn't see him. Seems he was in someone's pocket.

Real Madrid players were playing a defensive game in the last 15 minutes of the match, because they are very cautious and don't want to make any mistakes that will allow Dortmund score them first. Real Madrid knows that if Dortmund scores first, Dortmund will prefer to defend the goal till the end and they will use only counter attack and through pass to try their luck for the second goal.

Let's see what the second half will bring for us because I know that changes would be be made by Ancelotti, because this is not the Real Madrid that I use to know with attacking force.

First half already finished with a draw where we witnessed much safe gameplay from both sides, Real Madrid has more ball possession but Dortmund definitely created more dangerous chances to score, which means they are not taking the defense tactic this time before scoring. If by any chance Dortmund could score early in the beginning of second half, then it would be so difficult or even impossible for Real Madrid to draw the score, we barely saw the Madridans create an obvious chance for scoring after an impressive defense and quick counter attacks from Dortmund.
The second half now will be played by the coaches after reading each team’s tactics and their weaknesses to use them for better chances to win the finals, Ancelotti is more experienced in this case, he will do the best to take the trophy home as the majority of people are hoping and seeing things from the logical perspective, However, football is not based on logic at all, let’s watch and enjoy this great match. All my bets still for Real Madrid, Hala Madrid!

The first half wasn't too boring but it wasn't completely tense either. Both had chances but Dortmund clearly should have scored if their effort had not hit the crossbar. Meanwhile Real Madrid had difficulty penetrating Dortmund defense, which throughout the first half was quite solid. Rodrygo didn't make much of a contribution, mostly attacking from Vinicius direction even though he still couldn't penetrate the defense. Ancelotti task was to fix the defensive line which was always empty when Dortmund players launched quick counterattacks. Dortmund should have scored 2 goals in the first half, unfortunately they were really unlucky.

Today's match between Real Madrid and Dortmund is an interesting game in which both teams are attacking quite strongly. I have been watching the match since the beginning and both teams are working very hard to win and their attack is very strong. Both teams are trying their best to win today's Champions League trophy, both teams have been attacking well but neither team has scored a goal yet before half time. But I'm not sure there is a team in today's match that has a better chance but with Dortmund's attacking style they might try hard enough to score and narrowly miss a goal. However, although I have chosen Real Madrid as the favorite team, today's attack does not guarantee which team will win. As the halftime game is now over, there is a high possibility of more tension between the two teams after halftime. Of course both teams will attack a lot after half time and their attacks will definitely be much stronger. However, in today's match, the team that can attack and pressurize the opposition team the most will score the only goal and win the championship.

First half completed in the final between Real Madrid and Borussia.

I believe that Borussia would have deserved the opening goal also considering that the post they hit would probably have been disallowed for offside if scored.
They make some scary restarts, an open race.

28 second for pitch invasion, world record?  

Real Madrid is not bad in its game, but Dortmund played above the expected standards. Dortmund were so good at putting pressure on Real Madrid's defense in the first half, it was a surprise that was really expected in the final.

Dortmund almost scored on several chances in the first half, but unfortunately it never happened. The first half was certainly very tense because many people actually expected Dortmund to be behind by at least 1 goal, but that didn't happen. Dortmund need to maximize every opportunity they create when building attacks, but of course it is difficult to score goals because Thibaut Courtois' performance is too good.

I hope the second half is more fun, maybe there will be red cards too if the players get emotional.

I just like the last phrase that you used and that is what I have been advising since the fixture between Real Madrid and Dortmund was net public. No team that ever made it to the final that should be underrated. Now it is remaining few minutes for the end of the first half and yet the score line is still goaless. While so many people have believed that within the first 20 minutes of the match Real Madrid should be able to score. It is just finals and it will not look less like a final. Assuming Dortmund was able to convert their two chances, at least they should be leading by two goals by now. And you know how difficult it is to come back when it is one goal against you let alone two goals in a finals.
Well, it is fine but the finals is not a boring one. Borussia Dortmund is showing that for them to come to the finals it is not a mistake. Let us cross our fingers to see what the final outcome of this champions league final will look like.